Moving over to a tenor

[Khanthebrit]

I’m in the middle of a deal whereby I am going to purchase a tenor sax, especially because I see it being the primary type of saxophone for the things I am interested in: Rock N roll, blues etc. I currently have been playing an alto for a number of years. Listening to all the great tenor players and its sound have just screamed to me that I NEED TO BUY ONE. Right now, if all goes well and I can pick it up fairly fast, I’m hoping to perhaps use it as my ‘main horn’. I got a few of questions regarding the transfer over however and the tenor in general:

1) Would the skills I have learnt on alto easily transfer over onto tenor. I know fingerings are the same, but perhaps with regard to tone. If not, do you reckon one could develop a tone fairly quickly compared to someone who hadn’t played any of the sax horn’s at all?
2) With regard to a mouthpiece, I really want to get something that could help me ‘rock the sax’ and get a nice fat blusey feel to it. Something that could perhaps aid me in producing a sound in the rock n roll music you here from the saxophones in the likes of those such as Little Richard, Lee Allen Blues, Bill Haley etc. From reading, I hear dukeoff’s or Otto Links 7* or 8* might be good to use. Unfortunately, there is nowhere I actually experiment with mouthpieces, so my only option is to rely on the information that is out there and ask fellow sax players such as yourselves. I never used a metal mouthpiece, but would they be ok to use to begin playing on tenor? Any other MP recommendations? The mouthpiece will most likely go with the Yangagisawa t991 (same manufacture as my yangisawa a991)
3) Finally, to those who transferred to a tenor, any information on how your transition went when playing the horn?

Any advice you guys have got would be great! 🙂

[john]

I tried an alto years after playing tenor and the transition was a breeze… all saxes are the same, and …..all saxes are different!
what you have learned on alto will definately transfer over to tenor… embouchure, fingering etc…all the same.
the mouthpiece is a different story.
you will need to experiment a bit. not knowing your playing etc I can’t tell you if starting off with a metal mp is good or not at this point.
Dukoff’s and Otto Links are what I played before I discovered Guardala’s. It’s a big jump money-wise but in the end you will probably want one.
for now just get something that you think is comparable with your alto mp opening etc cause if you’ve been blowing an alto for years with a small opening jumping to a wide metal mp on a tenor sax would be too much of a change and might turn you off.

let us know how you go!

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